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Turning The Other Tear-Stained Cheek

Justin lay dead in the back of the wagon, his arms and legs chewed up and bloody with bites. But that wasn't the wound that killed him. In the middle of his chest was a neat, precise hole, red spreading from the injury and onto his shirt. Rick told me he left last night, and apparently he never made it back to the Sanctuary.

I stood by Rosita, our shared concern expressed on our faces as the crowd of Saviors yelled at us. They were accusing us of murdering him, thinking we were set out to kill them all.

Punches were thrown and people were shoved, a mess of arms and fists merging us together until a voice rang louder than the others.

"Hey! Hey, stop this shit!" Alden pushed people away, creating a space around him so he could speak. "We're gonna find out who did this and we're gonna make sure it never happens to us again, all right?"

"Us?" A man stepped forward, his eyes hard on Alden. "You're not one of us anymore."

Alden sounded almost pleading. "Us means all of us." He addressed the group, turning to face us all. A hand was suddenly on his shoulder as the man brought a closed fist across his cheek. Alden stumbled back, a look of surprise on his face as he rubbed the injured spot.

There was barely a pause, a minuscule moment of silence, before I punched the man right back. Alden was one of the good people here, someone I considered a friend. The impact shuddered down my fingers, pain reaching my elbow from the harsh and sudden force. I could see the fury in his eyes, the rage as he raised his arm again.

"Turn around, all of you." Carol interjected, her fingers skimming the gun at her belt in a threat. There was no hesitation as she drew it, everyone else following suit. My own gun settled comfortably in my hand, a finger readied over the trigger.

"We don't want this." Laura tried to diffuse the tension between both sides. Her arms were held out as she continued. "We just need to protect ourselves."

"No guns!" Daryl reminded her harshly. We may have been working together now, but there was still a long way to go before I trusted the Saviors completely. He stood with his crossbow loaded in preparation, his eyes narrowed at the scene in front of him.

"That 'cause you're the one who took out Justin?" Another one, DJ I think, accused. "Finishing what you started?"

My teeth ground together nervously when he strode over to an axe resting by a tree, his fingers wrapping around the handle. I didn't want to kill anyone today, but sometimes there was no other choice.

The tension in the air shattered with the whinny of horse, hooves trotting between the groups as Rick ordered them to a stop. A sigh of relief left my lips as I returned my gun to its place, but I had a feeling it was far from over. Even when the crowd dispersed, I felt like I was constantly looking over my shoulder.

»« »« »« »«

"Did you know Justin?" I couldn't help my curiosity as I traipsed through the woods, Alden close behind me.

He shrugged casually, his grip tight on a shovel. "Yeah, I knew him. Doesn't mean I liked him, though. He's picked a couple fights with me before, just him being a prick."

"Anyone else we should keep our eye on?" I wondered. Justin wasn't an evil person, he was just a naive asshole who only thought about himself. But there were a few questionable people on the other side that I wanted to prepare myself for.

"Most of us want this. The life, the peace." Alden assured me. "Regina was pretty close to Negan, I'd watch out for her. And Jed, the guy who punched me. He's got a couple friends, too. Laura and Arat, they're okay. DJ just likes a fight, doesn't matter who's side he's on."